Homemade Granola
Homemade Granola
"Eat what you love in moderation. For me (and I hope for you too!) granola is a great way to begin your healthy, happy day." – Elise Barber
Once known only as a much-loved breakfast food, over time granola has diversified to become the perfect kitchen staple for every time of day. With an abundance of health benefits, granola is packed with important vitamins and minerals, proteins and healthy fats. Whether you're new to granola or just eager to try some new breakfast options, the book encourages you to dive right in and make granola a part of your daily routine.
Including delicious and easy to follow recipes for crumbles, breads, muffins, cakes and much more, Homemade Granola is a unique collection of granola-based recipes that will inspire you to start, enjoy and end your day the healthy way.
Elise Barber is a passionate baker and granola enthusiast. Her love for granola grew out of a desire to eat healthy, delicious food that would fuel her work as an elementary school music teacher and an amateur triathlete. With the huge variety of taste preferences among friends and family, Elise is constantly creating new flavors to keep up with demand! Elise spends her summer holidays running a micro-bakery out of her home kitchen, where she bakes granola, and other tasty snacks. Elise lives with her husband Quinn in the wintery city of Edmonton, Canada, although she considers the German Black Forest her second home. She takes inspiration from many sources, such as the hearty winter fare of her Canadian hometown and the fresh fruit harvests of the German summers.
Homemade Granola
New Holland
Author: Elise Barber
RRP: $29.99
Cherry Cheesecake Granola
Makes 3½–4 cups
Creamy, rich granola. Crumble it up and use it as a cheesecake crust or top it with milk for breakfast!
Ingredients
1 quantity Basic dry granola mix, p16 or 1 quantity dry granola mix of your choice
1 tablespoon melted butter
3¼ oz (90 g) cream cheese (full-fat or light, not fat-free)
1¾ oz (50 g) white sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon wheat bran ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
½ teaspoon natural vanilla essence (extract)
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ oz (40 g) cup dried cherries
1½ oz (45 g) chopped or slivered almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Add the dry granola mix to a bowl and set aside.
Combine the melted butter, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lightly beaten egg white, wheat bran, almond extract, vanilla, and salt.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold together until evenly coated throughout. Pour the mixture evenly onto the prepared baking tray, taking care that the layer is not too thin around the edges.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the almonds, and bake for a further 10–15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Check often to prevent burning.
Remove the granola from the oven. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the tray. Allow to cool completely, then stir in the dried cherries. Break the granola into chunks, and store in an airtight container.
Note: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze the mixture for up to 3 weeks.
Variation: Graham-crust cheesecake granola
Prepare both Strawberry cheesecake granola, p99, and S'mores granola, p88, without the chocolate or marshmallows. Mix the granolas together after baking.
Interview with Elise Barber
Question: What inspired you to write Homemade Granola?
Elise Barber: I love sharing food and recipes with friends, and I love creating new flavors of one of my favorite foods-granola! Writing this book was a great way to encourage myself to get creative and challenge myself, and my husband greatly appreciated the opportunities for sampling!
Question: When did your love of Granola first originate?
Elise Barber: I was wandering the cereal aisle one day, and saw a box of peanut butter granola. I am a huge peanut butter fan, so I decided to try it. The next morning, after the most amazing breakfast, I spent the day dreaming of peanut butter granola. It wasn't long before I realized how expensive (and unhealthy!) most store-bought granola is, and realized I just had to make my own.
Question: Why do you like starting your day with Granola?
Elise Barber: Granola is the perfect breakfast! It fits well into all parts of my life- as a new mom and a teacher, it's a quick and easy breakfast to throw together in the morning, and keeps me full for a long time. As an amateur triathlete, I feel good about eating a breakfast full of protein and healthy fats. Most of all, granola just tastes so good that I really look forward to eating it!
Question: Which of the recipes in Homemade Granola holds the most memories, for you?
Elise Barber: I would have to say peanut butter granola holds the most memories. It was my first foray into granola, and really got me interested in eating oats, which now form an important part of my diet! For a long time, I even made peanut butter granola as a Christmas present for my friends and family. This is the recipe that every friend asks for after trying the granola, so I would say this recipe also gave me a lot of confidence in my baking ability.
Question: What's your favourite way to eat Granola?
Elise Barber: My favorite changes all the time! At the moment, my favorite breakfast is my simple cinnamon granola with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sliced banana, and a handful of fresh blueberries. Or my gingersnap granola with fresh sliced pears! I recently had my first baby, and we're still working our way through a quadruple batch of each of those that I baked beforehand. For me, there's no wrong way to eat granola- I also really love my chocolate caramel pecan granola on some yogurt for dessert!
Marshmallow Granola Slice
Makes 16 Bars
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
7 oz (200 g) marshmallows (preferably mini marshmallows)
1 lb 5 oz (610 g) granola of your choice (I recommend Carrot cake, p108 or Cookies & cream, p93)
Method
Grease an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square baking tin.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter or margarine over low heat. Add the marshmallows to the pot, and stir until completely melted. Turn off the heat, and use a buttered spatula to quickly stir in the granola of your choice until coated. Firmly press the mixture into the greased dish until it evenly fills the pan.
Leave to cool before slicing into squares and serving.
Note: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Chocolate Coconut Granola Muffins
Makes 12 Muffins
Not too sweet, these granola-studded muffins make a great breakfast or midday snack.
Ingredients
6½ oz (185 g) all-purpose (plain) flour or spelt flour
5½ oz (150 g) brown or coconut sugar
2¼ oz (60 g) cocoa powder
1 oz (30 g) shredded coconut
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 egg
9 fl oz (250 ml) milk
4½ oz (125 g) plain Greek yogurt or coconut Greek yogurt
1¾ oz (50 g) coconut oil, melted, or oil 2½ oz (75 g) frozen cherries, any excess liquid drained (optional)
3¼ oz (90 g) chocolate chips (optional)
1¾ oz (50 g) granola of your choice, such as German chocolate, p71 or Chocolate lover's, p67
Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and shredded coconut in a bowl.
Combine the oil, egg, milk, yogurt in a separate bowl.
Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir the ingredients together until barely combined"do not over-mix, or your muffins will be tough!
Gently fold in the cherries and chocolate chips, if using. Evenly distribute the batter between the muffin cups. Crush the granola, then sprinkle over the top of each muffin. Gently press the granola into the batter.
Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Note: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Homemade Granola
New Holland
Author: Elise Barber
RRP: $29.99
Interview by Brooke Hunter
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